Christ says persecution will come as we surrender to Christ, as He sanctifies us more, and as we become more conformed to His image. That is not bad news though because there is a blessing in that.
Matthew 5:10-12 says “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs in the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad for your reward is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
If we have not experienced some sort of persecution for righteousness sake, then we must examine ourselves to see why. Are we living out of fear? Are we embarrassed of being labeled a Christian in our culture? Are we ashamed of Christ?
In this life we will certainly have troubles because Jesus said we would. And because of that we need to: 1.) Stand firm in times of trial, 2.) Tow the line in times of tribulation, and 3.) Hold the position in times of crisis. Our job is to listen to the voice of truth and light and not the voices of sin and darkness.
As Christians, are we prepared for this now and for the future?
Listen to this message and find out……